


Actions speak louder than Words

by nanuk_dain



Category: RED (2010)
Genre: Action/Adventure, First Time, Humor, M/M, Mild Angst, mild violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-04
Updated: 2011-05-04
Packaged: 2017-10-19 00:11:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/194765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanuk_dain/pseuds/nanuk_dain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frank Moses and William Cooper are way better in communicating via actions than words. So that's what they do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Actions speak louder than Words

When he'd come home that evening, after sorting out the mess with Dunning, Cynthia and Frank's old Gang, William Cooper was not really surprised to find his wife sitting in the living room, a thick cardigan wrapped tightly around her and a very serious expression in her eyes. She rose when he came in and fixed him with a gaze that held despair as well as resolution.

“What do you really do, William?” she asked in that resigned voice that made his insides clench painfully. She already knew she wasn't going to receive an answer.

“For your safety and for the safety of the kids, I can't tell you.” Cooper replied, his tone matching hers. This had been coming for a while now, Frank entering his home had only been the final straw.

“I can't do this anymore.” Marna sighed deeply. “What happened yesterday?”

“That was my work coming after me.” Cooper said and it was just as much as he could admit without crossing the line. Marna nodded and remained silent for a while, as if she was thinking about what to do next.

“I love you, Will.” she said finally, and the sadness in her voice was palpable. “But the safety of Max and Emma will always come first.”

Cooper felt his heart freeze. He'd expected this, but it still hurt incredibly much. “I know. I see that the same way.” He took a deep breath and forced himself to say what he knew was the right thing. “I will sign the papers.”

Marna's eyes shone with unshed tears and she nodded. “Thank you, Will.”

He sometimes wondered if that had been the moment his old life had ended and 'this' had begun. Or if it had happened before without him even noticing.

***

Sometimes, when he had a moment of peace and quiet, Frank thought about 'this' and tried to pinpoint when it had actually started. Maybe it had been right at the first time they had laid eyes on each other, non-withstanding that Frank had been shooting at him at the time. Maybe it had been that fight in Cooper's office, when they'd realised they had found an equal in strength and spirit. Maybe it had come with each phone call, with each bickering. Frank's personal favourite was the moment he'd felt Cooper's fingers press the key to the handcuffs in his palm. Maybe that had been it.

It wasn't really important _when_ 'this' had started, really, because what counted was _that_ it had. This game of cat and mouse that Frank enjoyed so much. But truth to be told, he only enjoyed it because Cooper was such an excellent partner to play with. And he was nearly as good at it as Frank was. Nearly.

He just needed a bit more experience, and Frank was going to make certain that he got it.

“Cooper?” he heard a friendly voice ask and saw Sarah sitting down opposite of him, handing him a cup of Victoria's really awesome coffee. He had to find out where she got that stuff from, it was heaven in a cup.

“What?” he asked after the first delicious sip and had to admit that he hadn't listened. Age. It had nothing to do with the object of his thoughts. Nothing.

“Are you pondering on how to annoy Cooper next?” She asked and grinned. She had enough mischief in her to last several lifetimes. It was one of the traits that made her so adorable.

“Maybe.” Frank replied and pretended to concentrate on his coffee.

“Oh, come on!” she huffed after a moment. “You know you love teasing him. We all know.”

Frank suppressed his grin. And how he enjoyed it.

Sarah leaned back into the comfortable couch and then raised an eyebrow. “And I have to admit, it's incredibly much fun.”

Frank smirked. “True.”

“So, let's plan what to do next to irritate him a bit.” She paused and shrugged. “Or a lot.”

“You're enjoying this, too. It's not only me.”

“Of course I do!” Sarah said in all earnesty. “He's much to serious for his age. Never smiles, always only interested in the job. It's fun to mess with his head and show him that there are things outside of his job. Because we're not that easily classified in one of his stereotypical labels and that makes him think. ”

Frank just stared at her. “How much time did you spend thinking about that?”

“Oh, not so long. He's just quite similar to that character in the novel I'm reading at the moment and so it was easy to figure it out.” She grinned.

“Really.”

She nodded. “Really.”

“Still, the kid is good at his job.” Frank said after a moment.

“Kid, hm?” Sarah remarked and watched him with a raised eyebrow over the rim of her mug. Frank pointedly ignored her. He should have known better than to think Sarah was this easily dissuaded from something she was determined to discuss.

“He's no longer just the 'kid agent' for you.” she said without any concern for his obvious reluctance to talk about this. “Admit it, you're only enjoying this so much because he's almost as good as you in what he's doing. If he was any less good, you'd never bother with him.”

“What do you mean?” he asked with a frown on his face.

Sarah smiled, but it was not mischievous at all, just a pure, sincere smile. “You've found your match.”

***

William Cooper was no fool. When he'd parted ways with the Gang, as he had come to call the gathering of R.E.D.s, he'd known very well that he hadn't seen the last of Frank Moses. He was soon proven right.

The first time he found a pink smiley sticker on the forehead of the very dead drug lord that _he_ had been sent to kill, he immediately knew it was them. He suspected the smiley had been Sarah's influence, though, because the agents of the Gang had never been known to leave something behind. Not that anybody would understand the message. It was directed at Cooper, and he knew it.

There were more pink smilies after that. Not always a sticker; sometimes they were sent attached to an email with _just_ the information Cooper had needed to finish a job, sometimes they were drawn in pink marker onto a file mysteriously appearing in his office, sometimes they appeared _on_ people, mostly those he'd been sent to eliminate. It was annoying and it made Cooper angry, because he knew Frank was playing games with him. He couldn't ignore the information he was given, though, just because he didn't like the way he got it. That would have been immature.

Especially since it always proved to be correct.

Still.

Then there were the phone calls. At every time of the day – or the night, for that matter – and of course impossible to trace. He tried nevertheless. And Frank didn't only call when there was something he wanted Cooper to know about a job. He also just called to call. At first, Cooper had been more than annoyed, especially when he'd been woken by his mobile in the middle of the night for the fourth time. He wanted to reject the call or get the number banned, but that were no options since Frank never used the same number twice. Futile to even try.

After a while, he got used to the spontaneous calls at impossible times. Not that there was any other option, because Frank seemed to be able to get his number no matter how often he changed it. So Cooper just let it be and arranged with the unwanted contact. It wasn't that bad, either. When he found a pink smiley stuck to his mobile one day when he came back from the lavatory, he just sighed.

It stayed on the device until the mobile was destroyed in a rather unfortunate incident with a fire extinguisher.

***

Working with Cooper came as no surprise to Frank. It had been bound to happen at some point. They frequently interfered with Cooper's business, there had to come a moment when they'd stand on the same side. But working with Cooper in such perfect sync had indeed been a surprise. It wasn't just their comparable training or their similar ways of thinking under pressure. It was an understanding of each other that usually only came after years of working very closely together. It was the kind of connection Frank had with his old Gang, even with Sarah to a certain degree. But he had never felt it so completely and so deeply within minutes of working with somebody in the field.

He was certain Cooper felt it too and, judging by the looks he threw him, the agent was just as surprised as he was. But this was not the moment to discuss the matter – not that he _ever_ wanted to – since there were bullet passing by them far too close to Frank's liking and getting out of here alive was the most important objective right now. Of course it help a great deal that he was trapped in this situation with a man he needed no words to communicate with, he just instinctively knew where Cooper was going to be, when he'd react and what he'd do. It felt strange, but definitely good. Reassuring.

In retrospective, Frank had often wondered what had ridden him to put such a trust in this instinctive knowledge after only five minutes. He liked to call it a hunch. And it had worked, after all, they'd gotten out in one piece, no great injuries, and they'd even gotten the girl to safety. Not that Victoria would appreciate him phrasing it like that. He wisely kept this thought to himself once they were out of danger.

“You should take better care of your weapons, grandpa.” Cooper remarked with a smirk when he walked over to where Frank stood with Marvin and Victoria. He held out the gun Frank knew he had lost in the escape. It was his favourite one, Joe had had it custom-made for him for his fortieth birthday and it was the only weapon Frank had always made sure to retrieve, even when he'd lost it on a mission. He'd already been planning to go back to get it. This was an unexpected, but really nice change of plans.

Frank took the gun with a grateful smile and nodded at the agent. “Thanks, kid.”

“Now leave, all of you, before the cavalry gets here.” Cooper ordered, but there was still this smirk on his lips. Frank was even convinced he had seen mischief in his eyes.

When Frank sat down in Victoria's kitchen that evening to clean his weapons, he found a smiley drawn with black permanent marker onto the wooden inlay on the hilt of his gun. He was perplexed for a whole minute, then he broke out in wholehearted laughter. He couldn't even be mad because there was no way of removing it without ruining the gun. He _had_ deserved that, after all.

Victoria and Ivan, who were preparing dinner, just stared at him at this strange behaviour. He didn't explain.

***

The development was sneaky. So sneaky, in fact, that neither of them noticed for a long time. It was after the umpteenth evening spend on Frank's couch watching movies, cuddled together in comfortable familiarity, that they noticed.

“Frank?” Sarah asked and he could hear the frown in her voice without being able to see it on her face, since she was currently leaning with her head against his shoulder.

“Hm?”

“When was the last time we had sex? Or really kissed, for that matter?”

“What?” he asked, completely surprised by the question.

“It's been a while, I think.” she paused and he could feel her thinking about it. “About a month, I guess. And I noticed only now.”

Well, he had to admit, he hadn't really noticed either. They spend a lot of time together, inside and outside of contracts, and there was a familiar ease between them that made him feel at home with her. The sex had never been that important, but a month without should have come to his notice, really. Still, it hadn't.

“I think we're more best friends than a couple.” she sounded as if this had been a realisation she'd only come to in the past few minutes. More so, she sounded as if she was actually perfectly fine with it.

“When did that happen?” He wondered and silently had to agree with her.

She just shrugged. “Somewhere along the way.”

“Do you mind?” Frank ask carefully. He really didn't want to lose her over this.

“No, I feel fine like this.” She snorted. “It's not any different from last month and I didn't have any complaints then, either.”

He laughed. “All right, that's a good argument.”

“And you?”

Frank just patted her shoulder. “I didn't notice either, so I think it's safe to say we're on the same page here.”

“Good.” Sarah clapped her hands in enthusiasm and stared at the DVDs on the table. “So, what do we watch now?”

***

Russia. Just why did it have to be Russia?

Well, probably because it was Ivan's problem and there was this other tiny favour Frank still owed him. Victoria had just given him a chiding look when he'd explained their next contract. It wasn't that difficult a mission, they were just supposed to enter a facility outside of Moscow, retrieve some data from a server, and leave. Easy, really.

Except that it was a government facility and that right in the middle of the mission, the stupid CIA had to mingle. So the mission had gone terribly wrong. Actually, professionally it had been successful, but personally, not so much, Frank mused. At least nobody of the Gang was gravely injured or missing, even though they had stood against the Russians _and_ the CIA at the end. They had known the CIA was involved, of course – their contact still were as awesome as in their active time – but that the agents would leave one of their own behind while he was still breathing was unexpected. And so it came that the Russians had Cooper now.

And Frank wouldn't have that. He could still feel the way his stomach had clenched when he'd watched through Victoria's scope how Cooper had gone down and none of his men had turned to get him. He'd obviously still been alive, he'd tried to get up again but apparently couldn't, and these bastards had just kept running. Frank had wanted to shoot them himself, but Victoria had pulled her rifle out of his hands and ordered him to get moving. The Russians were not only chasing after the CIA agents down there, after all.

“I'm going back.” Frank said as soon as they reached their hideout, and started to collect a fresh set of weapons and more ammunition.

“You're crazy!” Marvin screamed and Frank couldn't help noticing the irony in that, but didn't react. He removed his used gun-belt and buckled a new one.

“Frank, dear, what has gotten into you?” Victoria asked in a calm but confused voice and he stopped for a moment in his preparations to look at her.

“They have Cooper.”

Something in her gaze changed the moment he'd said that, but he couldn't say what exactly it had been. “Marvin, be so kind and refuel the van. Sarah, get to the computer and find us those plans of the building. I have a call to make.”

Frank just stared at her and wondered what just happened, while he watched her take out her mobile and walk away. Whatever it was, Victoria apparently supported his decision to go back for Cooper, and now was not the time to question her behaviour. She was wiser that he'd ever be, so who was he to protest. Especially since he'd just been granted her help.

“All right, listen up.” Victoria said when she came back a few minutes later, Sarah in tow who carried a laptop showing the blueprints of the building. “I've talked to Ivan. Agent Cooper really shouldn't be in the Russians' company any longer than strictly necessary. We have to act fast.”

Frank's insides cramped painfully at the urgency underlying her words. She didn't have to tell them what would happen to Cooper, they all knew by personal experience. Sarah put the laptop down onto the back ramp of the van for everybody to see and Victoria lay down the plan she'd come up with to get Cooper out. Frank was too grateful for words that she'd taken over the wheel, because he was well aware he was in no condition to lead this operation.

Not that he'd admit.

***

Frank Moses was unbelievable. The man was reckless, dangerous and far too daring for his own good. And he was stupid. Because coming back for Cooper was just plainly stupid. It was risky, to say the least, and after the stunt the Gang and the CIA had pulled on the Russians only mere hours ago, it was suicidal.

Still, Cooper would never forget that Frank had come back for him when his own men hadn't.

The sight of the retired agent, accompanied by Marvin who was hovering close to the door, was balm for Cooper's soul. He instinctively knew Frank wasn't here to kill him, there wouldn't have been any need to bother, he could have just left that to the Russians. They were already doing a good job at trying. His right thigh, where he'd taken the shot during the escape, was one huge pain, he couldn't even tell if there were more injuries to the limb. It all blended together. And then there was his left arm which his hosts had been so kind to break at least twice, but due to the pain he couldn't really tell any more. Oh, not to forget the nice cut one of his 'guards' had given him on his cheek. A courtesy of Russia, the man had said with a huge, mean grin while he'd slowly cut through the skin. Cooper didn't even want to know what they'd done if Frank hadn't come. He didn't doubt their creativity for a moment.

The next twenty minutes – or was it more? – were a blur in Cooper's mind. But he felt the adrenalin pump through his veins, numbing the pain, and his training kicked in and made him move. With assistance, obviously, but he moved. He even fired the gun Marvin had reluctantly pressed into his hands when they'd left the room he'd been held in for the last few hours. He blindly followed Frank's lead, trusting him to take the right way out of this shithole. He'd found a way in, so he'd know a way out. Or several, probably. Then there was a van, the rear doors opening and Sarah grabbing him and pulling him in and Frank following. Cooper heard Marvin complain loudly to Victoria while he started the motor and then they were moving.

After a few minutes of ragged breathing, exhaustion took over and Cooper felt the fight leave his body. The adrenalin wore off and left him feeling weary and tired to the bones and the pain began to make itself felt. The movements of the van on the bumpy street didn't make it any better and he hated himself for the pained groan he couldn't hold back from time to time. He felt his focus narrow down on the pain, his world going red and white and black at the same time. It was only when he felt himself being moved, pulled close to somebody and suddenly resting much more comfortable, that he managed to fight through the haze of pain. There were hands soothingly stroking his sides and a solid warmth in his back cushioning the harsh jolting of the van.

“Shhh, just relax, Will.” he heard a rough voice close to his ear and realised that it was Frank behind him. “Rest. We're safe.”

There were more soft-spoken words, they merged into a soothing sound that made Cooper lose track of time and let him fall in this half-conscious state of mind where it was much easier to deal with the pain. And after he'd felt those arms holding him for hours and hours during the ride in the van, strong, safe and secure, he stopped calling Frank 'grandpa'.

***

It was one of those typical nights when he just couldn't sleep, and Frank rather spent it sitting in the kitchen with a hot cup of coffee than turning restlessly from one side to the other in his bed. Years of experience had taught him that he wouldn't fall asleep anyway, so it was useless to try. He had a book on the table in front of him, a love story he'd borrowed from Sarah – there was a sticker of a pink smiley in the upper corner of the front page – and he was just about to take another sip of coffee when he heard a firm knock on his door. Well, more a hit than a knock. A quick glance at the clock told him it was quarter past three in the morning, not exactly the time for a neighbour to come buy to ask for sugar.

Frank frowned, got his gun and approached the door carefully, making no sound that betrayed his presence. There was another hit to the door, and this one seemed to have a desperate quality to it. Frank peeked through the spyhole in his door and was astonished to recognise William Cooper standing on his newly rebuilt porch. An unexpected visitor, indeed.

Frank opened the door and found himself looking in a face that was halfway covered in blood, eyes slightly wild. William held his left arm close to his body in a way that suggested an injury, his suit jacket was rumpled and he had lost his tie somewhere.

“I've been sold out.” His voice sounded as raw as the man himself looked.

Wordlessly, Frank opened the door further and invited the rugged now-ex-agent in with a gesture of his hand. He steered him into the kitchen and made him sit down on one of the chairs at the table and pushed his coffee cup over. William didn't hesitate to close his hand around the mug and took a deep gulp. Then another. Frank meanwhile made new coffee. They'd definitely need it.

Then he made William remove his jacket and had a look at the arm. It seemed to be dislocated – nothing that Frank couldn't treat – and there was a cut on his forehead close to the hairline that was responsible for the blood still running down the left side of William's face. Frank cleaned the blood away and treated the injuries methodically. It was something you got used to pretty quickly as an agent. Then he set the arm and couldn't help feeling for his nightly visitor when he heard the pained gasp. When the coffee was done, William was patched up.

Frank sat down opposite to William and set a fresh mug in front of him on the tabletop. “And now start at the beginning.”

And William talked. Frank could tell he was shaken, although he hid it well. The events of the last twenty four hours had caught William completely by surprise and he now stood before the shards of his life and didn't know what to do. Frank felt something between honoured and touched that William had come to him at that point. It told him that Frank was the only person he trusted enough to go to when he was at his weakest. Because William was, and it showed.

By the time William fell silent for good, the sun had long since risen and they had emptied the coffee pot three times. Exhaustion drew deep lines on his face and his shoulders had sagged under it. There was only one thing to do right now.

“Come on, Will.” Frank said and got up from the kitchen chair. “You need rest more than anything else right now.”

“That wasn't what I had in mind.” William frowned, a bit of his old temper coming through, and that reassured Frank that the former agent would get back to his feet.

“I know. You need it nevertheless.” Frank smirked. “I'm amazed that you're still standing at all.”

Will snorted. “Well, so am I.”

Frank nudged the back of the chair when he walked past. “Get up and follow me.”

He left the kitchen and was positively surprised to hear William's chair scrape on the floor when he moved to follow. Frank hadn't been entirely certain he would. He led the way upstairs to the guest room that had never been used as long as he'd lived in this house.

“Bathroom is the first door to the right, towels are in the bottom drawer. I'll give you some fresh clothes.”

William just stood in the doorway of the guest room and looked lost. Frank pushed him in and then turned to get some clothes out of his own room. “Get ready for some hours of sleep. It might sound clichéd, but things really look different once you've slept over them.”

Once Frank had manoeuvred William safely into bed – he had been out before his head had even touched the pillow, despite all that coffee – Frank went back into the kitchen and called Victoria. Then Marvin. Then Sarah. Then Ivan. When William came downstairs in the early afternoon, freshly showered and in Frank's clothes, they were all seated in the living room and waited for him.

And so it came that William Cooper joined the Gang.

***

It took longer, though, until he became a part of it.

It was a trait essential to an agent's survival to be suspicious and not to trust easily. So the welcome in the Gang might have been warm, but they all kept a certain distance. It was only Frank who seemed to trust him no matter what, and Cooper spent a lot of time with him. They paired up when the Gang worked contracts, not only because the others were not entirely trusting him, but also because everybody had noticed the unbelievable connection between them and their perfect sync in the field. They were very efficient together, more so than they were with any of the others, and there was no need to break up a great team. On top of that, William had moved into Frank's guest room for the time being. Not that they spent much time at his house. They generally were caught between travelling, staying at Victoria's – it was just the only place with enough space to house the whole Gang – and hotel rooms.

Cooper had problems to wrap his mind around the fact that he was on the other side of the CIA now. That he was one of the hunted, not the hunter. The events of that day when he'd been screwed over by his former employer had made it clear that he was on their hit list, too, now. Another point which he had in common with the other members of the Gang, even Sarah.

Actually, he found that Sarah didn't have the same reservation towards him that the others had. But then, she wasn't a trained agent who'd grown into the business, she was a civilian who had stumbled into it by chance and who was still relatively new to it. Not that she lacked talent, Cooper had found out quickly. In fact, she probably had discovered aspects of herself in the time she'd spent with the Gang that she'd never even thought about before. For once, she was good with computers. Really quick learner, Frank had told him once, and she was far better at it than anyone else of the Gang. Cooper thought it was an age-thing, too.

And then, Frank had told him further, Victoria had noticed Sarah's calm hand and had taken her shooting. When they'd come back, they'd bonded over scopes, bullets and rifles more than they'd ever bonded over coffee and books. Soon afterwards, Victoria had announced that Sarah was going to be her apprentice and would be trained as the future sharpshooter of the Gang. Nobody had objected, not even Marvin. That had probably been the biggest compliment ever. So Sarah had grown into an accepted and dear member of this strange family, even though it was obvious to Cooper that they still felt the need to protect her and keep her out of situations they thought she wasn't ready to deal with yet.

There was no need to do such a thing with Cooper. He was every bit the trained ex-agent they were, had seen and done bad things and worse, and he knew how to fight. So Cooper generally found himself in the front line of the action along with Frank and Marvin, trusting Victoria, Sarah and Ivan to have their backs. It worked surprisingly well. After two months, Cooper noticed he actually liked his new life. He was only glad his ex-wife and his kids were not bound to him anymore, it would have endangered them a lot. He missed them a lot sometimes, but he knew that cutting every contact after the divorce had been the only right thing to do. He'd explained that to Marna before he had signed the papers, and she had given him a kiss, tears on her cheeks, and had thanked him for the sacrifice. He hadn't been able to speak afterwards. She'd let him go.

A bottle appeared in front of Cooper's eyes. “Beer?”

He looked up and found Sarah holding a bottle of her own, offering the other with a friendly smile. He returned it and accepted the offered beer. “Thanks.”

“What were you thinking about?” she asked and sat down on the porch next to him. “You looked sad.”

Cooper stared out over the lake in front of Victoria's house, coloured orange by the setting sun. It was quiet out here, Eagle's Nest was the perfect place to relax. He took a deep breath and replied quietly, “The family I don't have anymore.”

Sarah was silent for a moment. “I hate be the one saying it, but you must've known all along that you were the greatest danger to them. Your job made them a target. It was very risky to have a family in the first place.”

Cooper tried not to flinch at her honest words. Her voice was soft and gentle, but that didn't ease the truth of what she'd said. Of course he'd known. He had just been arrogant enough to think he could keep them out of it, could protect them. Frank had proven him wrong on so many levels. In a certain way, he was glad that it had been Frank who had indeed threatened to hurt his family, but wouldn't ever have followed through with it. Others would have. It had been a wake up call. A harsh one, but at least he had been able to avert worse.

“Yeah, I knew.” he replied after a while and took a deep gulp of his beer. It was cold and fresh and felt good running down his throat. A small comfort.

“But hey,” Sarah said with a cheery voice and bumped his shoulder with hers, “you know that you are gaining a new family now, right?”

Cooper turned away from the scenery to look at her. She wasn't joking, he could read that in her eyes.

“It might not look like it yet, but you're on the best way to become my older brother.” She grinned, then her smile turned serious. “Give them a bit more time. You're not alone, you know.”

“I'm not like you, Sarah. I'm not positive and innocent and open.” he retorted gently but firmly. “They will not take to me as they did to you. I've been on the enemy's side for too long for that to be ignored.”

Sarah snorted and took another sip of her beer. “My dear William, I'm far from innocent.”

Cooper couldn't help smiling at that. “I don't mean innocent in *that* sense. More like innocent in our line of occupation. You're not false and lying and trained to kill.”

“Well, I'm learning it now.” she said with a shrug and completely wiped away his argument. “And anyway, you know Frank has taken you in ages ago.”

“Oh really?” He clearly heard the disbelieving note in his voice.

She gave him a look that told him she thought this was an utterly stupid question. “He went back to get you from the Russians.”

Cooper nodded slowly. True. He had often wondered what had made Frank do that, but he had never asked. It was a bit like the fact that he never questioned his own motives for having gone to Frank when the Agency had sold him out. It was just one of these things he didn't want to analyse too closely because he wasn't sure he'd like what he'd find.

“Well, you all came to get me.”

Sarah was silent for a moment, as if she was wondering if she should say what she had on her mind or better not. When she had decided, her voice was very quiet and serious. “He would have gone alone, if the others had refused to come along.”

Cooper felt a shiver run down his spine at her words. He didn't know what to think of Sarah's words or what to say to her. There wasn't anything to say, he realised after a moment, his heart beating way to fast in his chest. The message had been clear. Frank would have come for Cooper, even if that meant risking his life in the course and going against his own kind of family.

When he turned to look at Sarah with wide eyes, he found her smiling genuinely.

“Welcome to the family, William Cooper.”

***

Frank would never have guessed William to be the one taking the final step. Or the first, depending on your point of view. And he had certainly not expected how much William's aggressive behaviour served as a turn on for him. Maybe that was because his aggression hadn't been directed at Frank for quite some time now and he'd forgotten how it felt to be in the focus of William's incredibly intense attention. It all had been brought on by a mission that had technically been a success, but had demanded some rather risky actions on Frank's part. Like jumping off a building, counting on his memory not erring about the paper dumpster he'd seen there at their arrival.

Of course it had been a gamble, but he would never ever admit that. William had no problem calling him out on it, though. 'Calling' might not be the correct choice of words, though, more like 'shouting'. Loudly. Frank was surprised Will had held back long enough for the Gang to arrive back at their current hotel, especially since everybody could see he was downright furious. He didn't say a word, though, until the door of Frank's room had fallen shut behind them.

“What the fuck was that?” His voice was loud and heavy with anger.

“That was me completing a mission!” Frank retorted, feeling anger rise in him, too. “Like I've done for the past forty-odd years!”

“I'm surprised you even lived that long!” Will snorted. “That jump was reckless, risky and utterly stupid! Do you have any idea what the odds were of that dumpster not being there?!”

“But it was there and I knew it was! I'd seen it at our arrival!” Frank growled.

“Oh yeah?” Now he sounded sarcastic. “It never occurred to you that it could have been moved? We were inside for _three hours_! There was no guarantee it was still there when you jumped!”

“But it was there!” Frank replied, quite enraged himself. “The risk is part of the job!”

“That's what you were thinking when you jumped over the edge of a building _three storeys high_?” Will was actually yelling at him now. “Tell me, were you even thinking at all?”

Frank crossed his arms in front of his chest. He didn't like to be told off by an ex-agent more than twenty years his junior. “I knew very well what I was doing, William! Not that it's any of your...”

Before he had any chance to finish the sentence, Frank found himself pinned to the wall, William's fists curled in the front of his shirt and his furious face only inches away. His gaze was burning into Frank's, his eyes dark with emotion. “Don't you dare telling me that it's none of my business!”

His voice had gone quiet, but was no less heated then when he'd been shouting. Frank was too surprised to react at first and then his body decided to notice exactly how close William had come to him. He was suddenly overly aware of the fact that Will used his whole body to press him in the wall, that there wasn't even enough space for a sheet of paper to come between them. He felt the warmth of Will's body seep through the layers of clothes separating their skin and felt the sudden urge to find out what it would be like to touch him. He heard a change in William's breath and saw him lick his lips in an unconscious gesture. Frank found his gaze follow the movement, mesmerized by it. He felt his breathing quicken and knew it had nothing to do with their argument.

When he looked up, the expression in Will's eyes had changed. Frank had no time to define the change before William moved even closer, not in anger this time, his movements slow and sensual, and then there were lips covering Frank's and the hands in his shirt moved up his neck to take hold of his face. He followed the pull willingly, his lips parting under the demanding pressure on William's tongue. His hands rose on their own accord and settled on the slim hips he had stared at more than once in the past months. He couldn't wrap his mind about what was happening right now, but he decided that it was of no further importance. It was happening, that was the only thing that counted.

Frank met William's every touch with one of his own, his need to feel skin so overwhelming that he took hold of Will's shirt and pulled it off without caring where it landed. His fingers found the warmth underneath, wandering over the expanses of skin that was only his to touch. Will didn't seem to have enough patience to undo the long line of buttons on Frank's shirt and just ripped them open after some futile attempts of unbuttoning them. Frank didn't mind at all, he just chuckled in Will's mouth and shrugged out of the ruined shirt.

The moment he'd gotten rid of the piece of clothing, he wrapped his arms around William's back and pulled him against his chest, skin on skin, and found his lips again. He deepened the kiss, challenging him, and was met with equal passion. Will pressed close, his hands caressing every bit of skin he could reach. He pressed his hand against the bulge of Frank's erection and chuckled softly at the breathless moan it got him.

Frank let go of his lips and moved down to cover William's jaw and throat with tiny nips and licks. When he bit down on the sensitive spot where neck joined shoulder, Will arched his back and let out a deep groan. Frank grinned, storing the knowledge away for later usage, and let his fingers find the fly of Will's trousers, undoing the top button and the zipper. Oh, he just loved how William responded to his every touch, writhing under his fingers, making these incredibly hot tiny noises in the back of his throat.

Suddenly, Will took hold of his hips and pushed him backwards with firm resolution. Frank let himself be thrown down on the bed behind him and lay back, watching William lick his lips in what Frank knew to be an unconscious gesture. It was incredibly hot nevertheless. And William looking at him as if he was the feast put in front of a starving man made his skin crawl with pleasant anticipation. Will determinedly removed his already undone, ruffled trousers and then grabbed Frank's to get them out of the way.

He looked predatory. There was no shy bone in him right now. Frank loved it.

With the slow, sensual movements of a wild cat, he crawled on all fours over Frank's body until he straddled him, his hands sliding along the skin of Frank's sides and his arms until he took hold of his wrists and pinned them to the mattress. He used his whole weight to keep Frank in place, pressing his erection into Frank's with obvious intent. Then he bend down and kissed a path down his jaw, always accompanied by little bites. Frank was surprised to find himself turned on by Will's dominant behaviour, by the hands that pinned him down, by the mouth that marked his skin as if to stake a claim. He arched up, wanted to be marked, wanted to find finger-shaped bruises on his skin when he looked in the mirror tomorrow. Wanted a reminder this was real, Will was real. Was his. Because this was not a one time thing, and they both knew it.

Without warning, a hand closed around his erection, trapping Will's alongside, the friction delicious, and Frank heard his own desperate groan. He arched into the hand that moved with exactly the right amount of pressure on their combined members, his arms strained against the hand that held his wrists pinned and he bared his throat to the mouth that bit his neck. He had never expected yielding to feel so fantastic.

Their hips moved on their own accord, the pace had become frantic, and Frank heard William's harsh breath, felt his forehead pressed into Frank's collarbone. He felt the climax build in him, building fast, and then his world went white with total bliss. He heard a horse groan and then Will sagged down on him, all tension leaving his body. His breathing was just as ragged as Frank's. It felt good to have his weight resting on his body, Frank noted while his mind slowly cleared from the post-orgasmic haze.

Will moved after a moment to slide his arms to Frank's sides and rested his head on his shoulder. Without even giving it a thought, Frank wrapped his arms around Will's back and enfolded him in a loose embrace.

“Don't ever do something so reckless again.” Frank heard William mumble close to his ear, his hot breath touching the skin of Frank's neck. This time he sounded desperate, not angry. It was enough to send a shiver down Frank's spine with the sudden realisation that Will had been worried. No, scared. For him. That was an entirely new feeling for Frank.

“All right.” he replied equally quiet. He tightened his hold on William and buried his face in the tousled hair, taking pleasure and comfort in his warmth, his closeness, his care. It might have been new, but it definitely felt good.

***

Cooper had heard a lot about Victoria in his time with the CIA. Of course he had, she was a legend in the business. He had respected her for all her achievements and really liked her, but he'd never been afraid of her. Now, though, as he was looking into her ice cold eyes, he felt a tinge of fear. He had just wanted to get a second helping from the buffet in their hotel when she'd cornered him by the door to the kitchen.

“If you hurt him, I will kill you. Slowly.” she said in a voice that perfectly matched the expression of her eyes. “And you know I can.”

Cooper tried to return her gaze evenly, but he knew he failed. He wondered briefly how she could possibly know about what had happened last night and then decided it had to be the infamous female intuition. Because Frank hadn't told her, and he hadn't either, and they'd not been loud enough to be heard in the adjacent rooms. Well, at least not during the part that had come after their shouting match.

Cooper acknowledged her claim to protect her family with a short nod. “Understood.”

“Great!” As if her whole being changed, she smiled at him and he wondered where the cold killer he'd seen a few seconds ago had vanished to. “Now, let's have some tea.”

He stared after her and wondered if he'd just been given a weird kind of blessing.

***

It was Marvin who basically outed them to the whole Gang about a month later. Cooper had his suspicions that it hadn't been that much of a secret to begin with, but nobody ever said a word about it. Still, he'd seen Sarah's grins and Victoria's knowing smiles. Ivan was less subtle, always booking only one room for Frank and Cooper when they stayed in hotels during missions. Marvin had mostly been his usual unsocial self. Until now.

It had been a shitty day and Cooper was in a bad mood. Really bad. He tended to become snarky when he was pissed, and Marvin happened to be totally socially insensible and didn't know when to better avoid him. So he got snapped at – a lot, Cooper had to add in Marvin's defence – and at some point he apparently had enough of it.

“You're bitchy, you know that?” Marvin complained when Cooper glared at him, ready to make another snide remark. “You need to get laid. You should really take better care of that, Frank.”

There was a moment of utter silence in the room. It was mighty uncomfortable, enough to even snap Cooper out of his foul mood. Everybody stared at Marvin, who just happened to realise that he'd obviously said something he shouldn't have, and he unconsciously hugged his current pink pig tighter.

Then there was a barely suppressed snort coming from the corner of the room where Sarah sat with her laptop. “Yeah, Frank, you should really take care of that.”

And suddenly Cooper couldn't help it and broke out into wholehearted laughter. This was just hilarious. Had it happened in a movie, he would've called this 'fantastically arranged situational humour'. It wasn't long before Sarah and then Ivan joined him, and then the others did, too, and the foul mood was broken.

After that, he and Frank didn't try to keep their relationship secret. They didn't exactly make out in the living room – okay, they did, but nobody had been home at that point –, but then they'd never been very physical when there were people around. There were small gestures and touches they hadn't allowed to show before, though, that they didn't hold back anymore. The lingering touch of hands, Frank comfortably propped on Cooper's shoulders when he stood behind his chair, the general comfortable familiarity in each other's personal space.

The others didn't seem to mind. Victoria made no fuss at all, apparently finding their relationship perfectly normal. Marvin's complaining nature just extended to it, and that made it clear he had accepted it. Sarah had tried to spy on their bedroom at Victoria's with the scope of her rifle once, but she'd been caught by Ivan and neither Frank nor Cooper knew what he'd said to her, but she didn't try again.

The Gang was a great makeshift family to be part of.

***

Frank hadn't really though about it until he'd already done it. When he left the jewellery shop with a content smile, there was a small box in the pocket of his jacket, his hand closed around it. Tomorrow was William's birthday and he'd been wondering what to get for him. For his last birthday, which had happened to be only about a week after Will had been sold out by the CIA, Frank had given him a key to his house and the offer to move in. It had been a rather spontaneous idea. Now he'd found this and it was just perfect. He'd seen it in the window and had just known that _this was it_. Spontaneous worked really well for him.

Not that he should have been shopping right now, because technically, they were on a mission. A boring one, though, and he knew that the ten minutes he'd spent in the shop wouldn't make a difference. While he walked down the street, Frank thought about the different restaurant he knew in town and which one Will was going to like most. He should have known better than to make plans.

So when the mission suddenly picked up speed – quite literally, they were in a car chase through San Francisco around eleven pm – Frank forgot about his plans and concentrated on shooting straight. Which was quite a challenge considering William's impressive way of driving. It was definitely not his first car chase through this city. He knew the shortcuts far too well.

Through his earpiece, Frank listened to Sarah giving him the newest intel she'd managed to hack – when had she learned to do that, anyway? – and Victoria and Marvin were in a second car closely behind them. They just followed them, obviously trusting Will's lead through the maze of streets and alleys. They ended up in the harbour district, somewhere in the back where the large warehouses were situated, and watched the car they'd been chasing disappear in one of them. Will was not stupid enough to follow their mark into the building when he had no idea what awaited them. They'd be an easy target once their car was stopped in an enclosed space.

They left the cars and split up, Victoria and Marvin left to find a spot to cover the building, while Frank and Will looked for a way to get inside. It didn't take long, checking the doors and windows carefully, until they'd entered the warehouse and found it full of containers. Not a surprise, really, but it didn't make manoeuvring any easier. Victoria let them know she'd found a position at the back where they'd seen several new looking cars parked along the wall. It must have been the real main entrance, contrary to the front which only served as a façade.

Frank and William moved along the long rows of containers towards the side of the warehouse where the car had entered. It stood abandoned in a clear space between two rows, driver door and trunk left open. When had a simple surveillance mission turned into a chase of armed weapon dealers? Frank wondered just as a bullet embedded itself into the container right behind him. They took cover behind it, more bullets following the first, but it was obviously only one shooter. Frank counted shots and when their attacker had run out of bullets and had to reload, both he and Will left cover to either side of the container and approached the position of the shooter. And there he was, opening fire as soon as he noticed their presence. He had been stupid enough to get himself in a corner between two containers with nothing but a little gap between them. Probably too small for him to get through, Frank assessed. They clearly had the advantage, until some kind of oily substance on the ground made Will lose his footing and go down in a rather inelegant sprawl.

“Shit.” William growled and got back to his feet, ignoring the dirt that clung to his face. Their guy meanwhile had managed to escape through the gap and Frank watched Will going after him. Frank decided the gap was definitely to narrow for *him* and made the long way around. He just saw Will disappearing at the end of a row of containers and ran after him. When he caught up with him, William had lost their mark somewhere in the maze of containers.

Will was leaning against the side of a container, breath slowly evening out after the chase. Frank watched him and thought that he was beautiful with this slight tinge of red on his cheeks under the grime he'd gotten in his face after the fall. The moment this thought passed his mind, Frank knew he was lost. Totally.

“We should go around the front.” Will said between two deep breaths to calm his body. “They've seen us arrive at the back, so they're expecting us to come from there. Victoria has that covered, so let's take the front.”

“Agreed.” Frank said, he'd though along the same lines.

“You're free to move whenever you're ready.” Frank heard Victoria inform them over his earpiece and told her about their plan to take the front.

“We'll leave in three minutes.”

“Understood.” she agreed. “Chase some of them out the back, will you? I haven't fired a shot the whole evening.”

Frank grinned. “Will do. We don't want you to get bored.”

“I could always start shooting their tires.” she sounded slightly indignant at the prospect. “Two minutes to go.”

Her voice blended out and Frank turned to Will who had recovered and casually leaned against the metal. “Why two minutes?”

Frank felt for the box in his pocket, walked over to Will and pulled him in a rough kiss. He was obviously surprised by the sudden touch – they never touched on missions outside of the inevitable – but then his body melted against Frank's and his mouth opened to return the kiss. It was short, hard and messy, but oh so good.

“Happy Birthday.” Frank said with a grin when he pulled away far enough to hold up the box.

William chuckled and took the box. “You've got incredibly bad timing, you know that?”

“No time like the present.” Frank replied and watched Will open the box and look inside. He was quiet for a few seconds, then a huge grin spread over his face.

“Put it on me?” he asked and Frank loved the tiny laugh lines around his eyes that told him Will's joy was real. Without a word, he pulled the silver chain out of the box and fastened it around William's neck. There was a flat round pendant attached to it. It was a silver smiley.

“I knew it would suit you.” Frank said and grinned.

“Just perfect.” Will agreed with a huge smile and Frank watched him unconsciously caress his new necklace.

“Enough, boys.” Victoria's amused voice remarked over their earpieces and made them flinch. “Your two minutes are up.”

“We should have switched off the mics.” Frank grumbled.

“Yeah, you really should have.” Marvin's annoyed voice agreed.

“I think it was cute.” Sarah remarked cheerily. “Not to mention hot. I've never listened to you kiss before.”

Frank suppressed a groan. Had everybody been listening to this? They could have said something! “Shut up, all of you. We have a mission to complete.”

“Sure, Frank.” Sarah snorted and then there was silence. For a moment, he was surprised she'd let it go.

Will pushed away from the container and tugged his smiley chain under his shirt before moving to the end of the row, gun ready. Frank was about to join him when he heard Sarah over the radio. “Ah, Will?”

“Yeah?” William asked quietly from his position and peeked around the corner, obviously not paying too much attention to Sarah.

“I just wondered...” she went on. “What did he give to you? Was it a ring? Did he just propose to you?”

Frank felt as if he'd been punched in the gut and Will didn't look any better. There were definitely chuckles coming over the line.

***

Sarah cornered him in the bathroom some days later. Cooper had been aware of her constant curious glances, but he'd managed to avoid her. She must have noticed, because she just entered the bathroom as soon as he had turned off the water. He just managed to wrap the towel around his hips before she had him trapped between the sink and herself. This had definitely been planned.

“So it wasn't a ring.” She exclaimed triumphantly. “It was a necklace!”

She approached until she had her hand wrapped around the pendant and inspected it closely. Cooper had backed up as much as possible and was now halfway leaning _over_ the sink, his hand in a firm grip on his towel. “I'd greatly appreciate if you backed up.”

“Ah, don't be a prude, you haven't got anything I haven't seen already.” she just retorted and continued looking at the pendant. There was a huge grin on her face. “A smiley. That's so cute.”

Cooper didn't say a word and didn't move a muscle. He knew he could have easily freed himself from her grip, but he wouldn't lash out against her and she knew it.

Her grin took on a wicked edge as she went on. “Especially considering the vast amount of smilies Frank left you over the first year.”

Cooper wondered if she knew about the smiley _he_ had left _Frank_ and which was still visible on the hilt of his gun. Probably not, Frank wasn't the kind of person to tell such things. It was a nice reminder, though, and every time Cooper saw it, he had to grin. And he hadn't ever complained when at some point, a smiley sticker had appeared a on every single one of the mobiles he'd owned over the time.

“Leave him alone.” Frank's voice suddenly ordered from the door. He was wearing his sleeping clothes, boxers and an old t-shirt, and his feet were bare, but he looked impressive anyway. Cooper eyed him appreciatively and unconsciously licked his lips.

Sarah looked from Frank to Cooper and back to Frank. Then she grinned. “Understood, boys. I'll leave you to... the morning wash.”

Frank rolled his eyes but didn't object. She was leaving the room, after all, and that had been the purpose. She closed the door behind her, not without winking at them one last time before disappearing.

Cooper grinned at Frank. He certainly didn't mind a second shower.

***

“I had never expected that to happen to you, of all people.” Frank heard Ivan's voice behind him and turned to find the Russian holding two steaming mugs. Frank accepted the one he was offered and by the smell of it, it wasn't pure coffee. There was definitely a shot of vodka in it. Maybe two. Or three, knowing Ivan.

“Never expected what?” Frank asked and leaned on the balustrade of the porch of Ivan's cabin. The lake was frozen, everything was covered in a thick layer of snow and the white gave the landscape an eerie atmosphere in the night. Beautiful, but eerie.

“That you would fall for another agent.” Ivan explained and joined him at the balustrade. “It is never easy. Not important if it is a male or a female agent.”

Ivan took a sip of his vodka-lanced coffee and shrugged. “And yours happened to be the one who originally had been sent to kill you.”

“And yours happened to be MI6. Originally.” Frank replied, chuckling, and took a sip of the hot drink. Okay, maybe four shots. “You're not the only one who had never expected that. But why does it surprise you so much?”

“Well, you have always been so careful no to become too attached to anybody.” Ivan explained. “And now you make the most dangerous choice possible.”

“Why did you fall for Victoria, Ivan?” Frank simply asked and gave him a serious look.

The Russian chuckled. “I couldn't help it.”

Frank just raised an eyebrow.

“I see your point.” Ivan conceded and looked over the frozen lake. They drank in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. Then Ivan raised his mug and held it out to Frank with a smile. “To dangerous choices.”

“To impossible relationships.” Frank replied with a smirk and clinked his mug against Ivan's.

***

Frank took a deep breath to inhale the nice crisp morning air, his hand wrapped around a steaming mug of fresh coffee, and he leaned on the balustrade of the porch. The lake in front of Victoria's house was still frozen and there was snow on the ice. It was still so early in the morning that the silence was absolute, not man-made sound disturbing it. Frank knew it had taken him a few decades to be able to appreciate this tranquillity, but now he enjoyed it immensely.

He heard he scratch of the door opening and knew who it was without having to look.

“Morning.” William's still slightly sleepy voice greeted him along with two arms wrapping around Frank's waist and the warmth of another body pressing against his back.

“Morning to you, too.” Frank replied and held his mug out for Will. He smiled gratefully and took a sip. He already seemed more awake after that. Frank had always been amazed what an effect coffee had on him.

“Why are you up so early?” William asked and huddled closer against the cold. Frank loved how cuddly Will was when he'd just woken up. It was an adorable trait, and Frank indulged in ever so often.

“I like the early morning.” Frank replied quietly, leaned into the embrace and took a sip of his coffee before offering the mug to Will once more. They were silent for a while, just enjoying the moment, sharing their body heat and the cup of coffee.

“I've got something for you.” William pulled a little paper bag out of the pocket of his jacket. “Happy Birthday, Frank.”

Frank turned his head enough to look at him in surprise. If he hadn't said that, Frank would have totally forgotten. He'd never much cared for his own birthday. But this was a nice surprise and Frank accepted the paper bag and slowly opened it. There was something metallic in it, he could tell by how cold it was, and he overturned the bag to let it slide into his hand.

A silver smiley laughed up at him. It was an exact match to the one he'd given Will for his birthday. Frank looked at the small pendant in his hand and felt a warmth wash over him that left him breathless. He turned to be able to see his face. “Will?”

“I'm not very good with words when it comes to this.” William was licking his lips in this nervous little gesture of his, but he looked straight at Frank, his gaze not wavering. “But I hope you understand anyway.”

Frank knew Victoria was right. He was a big romantic at heart, and he felt this side of him glow with happiness right now. “I do.”

A smile appeared on Will's lips and made his eyes shine, and Frank loved the sight of it. He put the smiley in William's hand.

“Put it on me?”

William chuckled, recognising the words, and fastened the leather cord around Frank's neck.

***

He was in the kitchen some hours later, making coffee for the whole Gang, when Sarah suddenly appeared next to him with a smile that had a little mischievous edge to it.

“It's so you.” she said, mirth in her eyes, and handed him the cups.

“What is?” Frank asked and tried to figure out what she was talking about.

Sarah's hand wandered into the collar of his shirt and tugged at the silver pendant hidden underneath. “That you wouldn't have a wedding ring. Too normal. You have a wedding smiley.”

For the first time in what were probably decades, Frank felt heat rise to his cheeks and knew he was indeed blushing. He hadn't done that in ages, if ever. Since he left childhood, anyway. But Sarah's words, down to the point as usual, made the blood shoot into his cheeks as if he was an innocent youth.

“Technically, we're not...”

“Oh come on!” she interrupted him with and exasperated huff. “Of course you are! You're more married that most married couples!”

Frank just stared at her. She had a point there. Not that he would ever tell her that.

“We need a celebration.” she decided and the look on her face told him she was already planning.

“Sarah.” There was a warning in his voice, even a little threat.

She happened to be absolutely immune to it. “Wait until I tell Ivan. He loves celebrations. There's no way you're going to get out of this.”

Frank gave a heartfelt groan. “Sarah!”


End file.
